We talk a lot about souvenirs here—the things we love to bring back from a place—but there’s also something to be said for what we bring with us when we travel—talismans, good luck charms… whatever you want to call them. Whether it’s an evil eye, a St. Christopher medal, or a corno, it’s something that has significance to you and keeps you grounded and connected, wherever you are. I wear only two—the thumbprint of my daughter, which my husband gave me when she was little, and an En Route charm that my friend Celine Yousefzadeh gave me, which couldn’t be a more fitting message. My daughter wears about 15 of them—if you’re a charm person, you know you can’t just take them off. Whether it’s a pendant picked up at a French antiques stall or a shell that reminds you of home, these small keepsakes are the perfect souvenir: personal, functional, and full of feeling. We love them especially in summer, when they aren’t covered up, and find them to be a great conversation starter. Below are some of our favorites.
Beck Jewels makes pendants that are literally a piece of the place you can take with you. The designer Rebecca Zeijdel-Paz collects rocks everywhere from Montauk to her home of Curaçao—she turned these pebbles into pieces that look like precious stones.
Marlo Laz’s En Route charm is so elegant and doesn’t scream travel talisman, and these are literal good luck charms.
The Il Sole pendant from Jennifer Alfano is inspired by an Alexander Girard Sun relief in Santa Fe that she has fond memories of, and it pairs well with the vintage Sardinian coral branches she just launched this week.
This gold-plated flipper charm from OOOF screams summer vacation.
“Charm necklaces are like little bits of meaning locked around my neck—they tend to stay on. I thoughtfully layer them, each one says something, and the stack is often a high-impact statement. I definitely have a thing with heart pendants—there’s something timeless and a little tender about wearing your sentiment where everyone can see it.” —Marlien Rentmeester, style editor, founder of the Le Catch website and her Substack of the same name
Melissa Easton makes a tiny beautiful Swiss shield charm that transports us straight to the Alps.
Pack this or this evil eye for some good travel juju.
Malachite is a traveler’s stone that’s meant to bring luck on trips—this one from Van Cleef in their clover shape would be extra good luck, or for the nautically inclined, this mariner link charm in malachite is really beautiful too.
Some say it’s bad luck to buy a corno for yourself, but it makes such a great gift, and maybe the recipient will reciprocate.
“I used to always travel with a St. Christopher charm (the patron saint of travelers!), and though I don’t carry it with me anymore, I realized my Dragon Diffusion bag has one stitched into the leather. So I guess he’s still been looking out for me!” —Carly Shea
If you want to go the initials route, these from Roxanne Assoulin or these from Hart are so playful (and well-priced), these from Adina Reyter are impossibly chic, and Sarah Hendler’s disk charms can be engraved with initials, too.
This is called the “aperitivo pendant”—we can totally see it paired with a caftan and Negroni by the sea at golden hour.
You know that we love postcards, and this sweet charm is no exception.
“While pictures may record the details of a trip, travel charms offer something more personal, a wearable memory of cherished experiences from around the world. I started collecting charms to add to a bracelet as a child, that I knew I would give to my daughter Ella one day. One of my first charms was from Paris, I bought a key with a heart on it to remind me of the Love Lock Bridge, similar to this charm from Adina Reyter.” —Larissa Mills, content creator
A Passport that will never expire!
The chicest olive branch you could possibly extend.
“Around 15 years ago, I splurged on a gold charm at Calypso—a small disc stamped with a spiral of tiny symbols that looked like they held some ancient cosmic code. It turned out to be a replica of the Phaistos Disc, discovered at the Minoan palace of Phaistos in southern Crete and dating to around 1700 BC. Its meaning remains a mystery to archaeologists, which only adds to its allure. Mine fell off years ago, but two summers back I found another in a little shop in Hydra. It’s become a personal talisman—I never travel without it—and as someone who once spent hours poring over ancient texts (ie, minored in dead languages!), I love the idea of this miniature Rosetta stone, quietly guarding its secrets and waiting to be understood. Here and here are similar versions.” —Alex Postman, Yolo Deputy Editor
This black & white cookie or this coffee cup makes a very portable souvenir from NYC.
“Charms are my thing as I road trip around, gathering and curating vintage collections for shops and pop-ups. I try not to grow attached to many, as it is a joy to see a charm regain its place of pride on someone’s charm bracelet or necklace. The charm I have held onto for many years, and hope to admire for years to come, is a simple metal heart stamped ‘MARIE’ and strung on a red thread necklace. I discovered her on a first visit to Paris at the Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves. It was the best souvenir I could imagine despite her wear, as it appears she has lived a few lives before turning up before me inside the cardboard box lid of a French antiques dealer. I will forever be smitten with engraved charms, contemplating their origins, their meaning, how they were once a celebrated memory. Spy your initials or meaningful date/sentiment at a market or antiques shop? Grab it or you will forever dream about the piece that got away.” —Marie Moss, author and vintage curator
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